African Union monitors say Tanzanian poll did not meet international standards

The African Union observer mission for Tanzania’s recent violence-marred elections said on Wednesday that the polls failed to meet international democratic standards.

In a statement, the continental body said monitors saw voters being issued with multiple ballot papers and the stuffing of ballot boxes.

Several members of its monitoring mission were asked to leave polling stations, it said, before the counting process was concluded.

It added that restrictions were also imposed on media outlets in the run-up to the election, while civil-rights groups were hindered from educating voters.

A shutdown of the internet on election day and afterwards also compromised the integrity of the poll.

The government says the election was fair and transparent.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the landslide winner of the disputed 29 October vote that triggered deadly protests.

Opponents accused the government of fraud and there were demonstrations over the exclusion of her main challengers.

The main opposition party, Chadema, which was barred from participating in the election, says it has documented hundreds of deaths in the protests.

Hassan, who was sworn back into office on Monday, has acknowledged that people died but has described the opposition toll as hugely exaggerated.

While the AU mission did not refer directly to the killings, it said it “regrets the loss of lives” and that the environment deteriorated over the course of election day.

It has called for urgent constitutional and electoral reforms in Tanzania.

The AU’s damning report came just days after its Commission chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf congratulated Hassan on her victory.